Trade-Up Tuesday: “Best of” Cereal
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday! Every Tuesday, here on A Better Bag of Groceries, I talk about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something for free. Today’s Topic: The Best of the Cereal Category.
I love it when magazines have their “Best of” lists. Every summer, you will find me on the beach with my nose deep into the Best of Boston from Boston magazine or the Best of Rhode Island from Rhode Island Monthly.
As the weather gets warmer, my household becomes All Cereal for breakfast. We put away the oatmeal and while there is an occasional toasted item first thing in the morning, it is more likely to see four bowls and a glass bottle of our favorite milk at the breakfast table.
People ask me about NuVal scores for cereal often and so today, I am giving away the most notable high-scoring items in the Children’s Cereal category and the Adult Cereal category (that sounds a little risque, doesn’t it?)
If you have kids, there is almost nothing better than a box of Cheerios. Cheerios score a 34 on the NuVal scale. There is a Cinnamon Toast Crunch with 75% reduced sugar that scores a 40, however, I’ve yet to find it here in New England. My kids are big Rice Chex fans. I think my husband feels good knowing that he is giving them cereal that does not have a cartoon character on the front of the box, but Rice Chex pale in comparison to Cheerios. They only score a 24. In fact a LOT of kids cereals score in the 20-24 range. My advice? Try to keep the favorite finger food of most toddlers on your table for as long as you can. The score is better than the rest.
Now, when it comes to adults, the Rock Star Cereal that we at NuVal often mention is Post Shredded Wheat. It was a standout early on when we began scoring the cereal category. It gets an amazing 91! There are other cereals that score a 91 as well, including Barbara’s Shredded Wheat, Arrowhead Mills Organic Amaranth Flakes, Price Chopper Puffed Wheat, Meijer Shredded Wheat, and Bear Naked Fit Triple Berry Crunch. The cool thing about NuVal, is that when grocery stores put the scores on their shelves, you can easily see when a store brand gets the same or better score than the National Brand – and it’s usually cheaper.
So, these days, we do have both Cheerios and Shredded Wheat on the morning menu, usually topped with banana (91) , blueberries (100), or strawberries (100). Sometimes, I even top with nectarine (93). Yum!
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky commenter will win a box of Shredded Wheat and a box of Cheerios. Sorry, I can’t send the skim milk through the mail! Just leave a comment below telling me your favorite cereal. (No worries if it’s not nutritious!) I’ll choose one commenter at 7 am EDT on Wednesday so check back to see if you are the lucky recipient! Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa 56 comments
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Love cheerios!
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:18 am
My favorite cereal EVER is cinnamon life, although I don’t really eat it anymore
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:21 am
I really like Kashi Go Lean
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Lately I’ve been loving Kashi crunch but my true love is Honey Bunches of Oats – it’s been ages since I’ve had any though.
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:35 am
My daughter LOVED Raisin Bran until we realized that it was so yummy because they coat the raisins in sugar! She goes for the Cheerios now. My fav is Quaker Oatmeal Squares…
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I love Quaker Oatmeal squares. They are great any time of day.
on May 25th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Not nutritious but I love Fruit Loops!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Love love love Oatmeal Squares!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:13 am
My kids (age 2 and 4) and I love Kashi Autumn Wheat and Cinnamon Harvest. They’ve never had “cartoon” cereal and love to eat this with milk or dry as a snack. I am guessing it’s pretty nutritious!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:17 am
I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I will definately be on the look out for the 75% reduced sugar. I also like Kashi Go Lean. Which I thought was great for me to eat but after seeing the NuVal score, I had switched!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:19 am
i love all cereal-my problem is i eat way too much!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:20 am
I like the Kashi Go Lean Crunch ( I think that is the name). Thank you!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Definitely Raisin Bran Crunch
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Kashi cereals are my weakness..I can’t do one serving with cereals. I go through a box in about 3 days so I don’t buy cereals unless I am having cravings for them.
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I always ate Capn Crunch as a kid……I DON’T want to know that score!! Now it’s Wheaties or Kashi Honey Almond Flax.
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Loving Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins this week
and the kids, well, they are having strawberry yogurt cheerios!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:38 am
I love bran flakes with fresh fruit and walnuts! Yum!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:39 am
I also like Kashi Go Lean, especially with almond milk!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:40 am
I am a cereal junkie, really like Froot Loops because the milk turns colors–I’m such a kid!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:44 am
My all time fave has to be Kashi Honey Sunshine!! If I recall, it actually gets a decent NuVal score! Even if it didn’t, it has to be the most delicious stuff ever…reminds me of the kiddie cereal Corn Pops! mmmmm
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:46 am
I grew up with cheerios as a snack in plastic baggies.hehe…My Pop was a firm believer in bran with banana which I mixed with cheerios growing up:-)cc
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:50 am
I gave up on cereal for years after it seemed impossible to find a box that wasn’t loaded with sugar and/or salt. But then, I discovered Wheatabix — yummy — and even more delicious with a sliced ripe banana on top!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Interesting! I haven’t had cereal in years and all of a sudden I’m a Fiber One addict. I must hunt down the NuVal score for it, stat.
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:55 am
i seriously love love love lucky charms!! haha, i wish you could send the milk, too!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:59 am
My fave since I was a kid is good ol’ fashioned Cheerios…topped with dried apples pieces is the pick lately, yumm!
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:03 am
My favorite cereal is raisin bran but i used to be obsessed with cap’n crunch when i was younger
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:03 am
My fave is Wheat Chex– once they sit in the milk for a while they get really sweet.
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:08 am
I create my own high-value NuVal cereal in the morning. Equal parts of Fiber One, Kashi Seven Whole Grain Puffs (91), and Alpen All Natural Meusli (75). Oh so yummy.
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:08 am
I actually don’t like milk, so cereal is a snack food for me. My favorites are Cheerios! I like them all – Banana Nut, Honey Nut, Multigrain, Apple Cinnamon, and the original. I think they’re fantastic! My boyfriend is a big fan of Special K Red Berries, though, so we often have that in the house more often.
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:09 am
My favorite is Cinnamon Toast Crunch! I didn’t realize that there was a reduced-sugar one!! Sad to hear you haven’t found it in New England. I realize a 40 is not a super high score, but I could eat it for dessert!
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:09 am
My favorite is Cinnamon Toast Crunch, although I haven’t touched it in years! I didn’t realize that there was a reduced-sugar one!! Sad to hear you haven’t found it in New England. I realize a 40 is not a super high score, but I could eat it for dessert!
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Clusters!!! Although…I think they stopped making them.
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch…however, I don’t buy either very often any more. I’ve become more of a Granola girl.
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:43 am
i am a serious puffins addict! i could have that everyday for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy :]
on May 25th, 2010 at 11:30 am
While I do love me some Shredded Wheat, I must admit to being a kid at heart: My all-time fave cereal is still Lucky Charms. (I used to eat the icky oat part first, leaving mouthfuls of marshmallows for last.) Of course, I don’t buy it anymore.
on May 25th, 2010 at 11:45 am
If nutrition were not an issue, I would eat Life till the cows come home. I try to buy less cereal now than I used to, but when I do, I came to the conclusion independently that Cheerios and Shredded Wheat were among the healthiest. I’m so glad the NuVal scores bear this out! I made the homemade granola recipe that appeared in this blog recently, and that makes a WOW cereal. Thanks!
on May 25th, 2010 at 11:50 am
Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch have been favorites at our house for years!
on May 25th, 2010 at 11:59 am
These days my favorite cereal is Kashi Go Lean Crucnh Honey Almond Flax.
on May 25th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
SHREDDED WHEAT! Loved it as a kid and still love it! Just the way it holds the milk makes it so delicious. So nice to know that a traditional cereal holds up to the test of time! I have also been know to pack it as a snack for road trips, great, filling, easy, non-messy snack!
on May 25th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
My favorite cereal is just oatmeal!
on May 25th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I’m already a big Cheerios and Shredded Wheat fan, but I also heart Wheaties, Life, Cinnamon Life, and Kashi’s Autumn Wheat. And I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for my childhood favorites – Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs
on May 25th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
my favorite cereal is kashi warm cinnamon heart 2 heart – i like to think of it as a more nutritious version of cheerios, even if it’s not!
on May 25th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
My favorite cereal is Fiber One Honey Clusters! omg sooo good!
on May 25th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I too love cinnamon Life with my 1/2 banana when I am in a hurry and don’t want to do the oatmeal thing.
on May 25th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
My current favorite cereal is Natures Path Flax plus. I can not seem to get enough.
on May 25th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I also love Natures Path Pumpkin Flaxseed cereal, not to sweet!
on May 25th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I love Vanilla Almond Shredded Wheat!!
on May 25th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Current favorite is Special K Protein Plus, it’s amazing in vanilla greek yogurt!
on May 25th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
I am a Cheerios girl from way back (you know, when I’m not eating grits), but now that I am a NuValian I mix my Cheerios with Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs, upc 0-18627 02345-6. I think it scores a 91.
on May 25th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
I love the new Special K granola cereal. Unfortunately, I could eat the whole box in one sitting if I’m not careful. Thus, I don’t buy it very often.
on May 25th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I love ALL cereals (sugary and healthy),but my favorites of all is any variety of good ol’ Cheerios. I love them all: Apple cinnamon, Honey-nut, Yogurt covered, Frosted, and just plain Cheerios. Yumo!
on May 25th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Favorite cereal – trader joes mixed berry granola mixed with post shredded wheat. Yum!
on May 25th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
I just LOVE cereal…any kind. I really love honey bunches of oats and multi-grain cheerios!
on May 25th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
If it wasn’t so darned bad for you, I would eat things like Fruity Pebbles, Peanut Butter Crunch, etc. but I stick with Shredded Wheat!
on May 25th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
My favorite cereal is Cocoa Pebbles. I like the Cheerios and Shredded Wheat, too, but I LOVE Cocoa Pebbles.
on May 26th, 2010 at 12:25 am
LOVE LOVE LOVE Peanut Butter Puffins!! My absolute favorite growing up was Fruity Pebbles with Smacks coming in a close second. So glad I read this post…I love cereal, but often feel bad eating it. Good to know there are some out there that are good for you!